Everythings Alright Eventually
by JulietRenaldo
Summary: This is about a homeless child who finds it is alright eventually.


**Everythings Alright Eventually**

I cant seem to remember a time when everything was alright. I guess growing up

homeless will do that to you. My name is Saysie, at least I think it is, that's what

everyone on the streets call me. I am 12 years old as best can be told, and I have no

home. Let me tell you, that is not an easy thing when you are a girl. Oh, I have

done quite well in my 12 years, but I might have done a lot better with a real home.

Here is what I remember about my younger life (of course some of it has been

told to me by Hammy and Leta who are my friends on the street). I was 3 years old

when my mother and father pulled into a hotel parking lot in Chicago and dumped

me out, carseat and all. I guess somehow I got out of the carseat because Hammy

tells me that he saw me walking into the traffic, almost getting smashed by a car,

carrying a teddy bear. Hammy is homeless and has been for 15 years. I guess he

kinda felt sorry for me or something like that because he started hauling me around

the alleys and streets of Chicago in a shopping cart with my carseat sitting right in

it. It was October when this happened and I think I do remember the first Christmas

out on the streets. I remember being very cold and lots of snow. Hammy made us

a home out of Cardboard boxes and lots of Styrofoam on the inside to keep us

warm. We would get coats and stuff out of the dumpsters behind stores and thrift

shops. Food was easy to come by most of the time. There was a soup kitchen that

served a hot lunch everyday, and for breakfast and dinner we would dig through the

dumpsters behind grocery stores and fast food places. Everyonce in a while Hammy

would sit with a hat in front of him and people would put money in the hat. One

time, Hammy must have known there was a horrible snow coming and that it would

be really cold because he sat out there for 3 days and got enough money for the two

of us to stay in a nice warm room for almost a week. I had never watched tv sitting

on a bed before, never really remembered a bed, but this was the life. Hammy

would fill the bathtub up with warm water and bubbles and I would play for hours in

there. I didn't really mind too much when we had to leave because Hammy told

me that when I grew up and got older I could get a place like that for myself!

I'll tell you more about that later, right now to the present. I am twelve and in

quite a mess. I have my own shopping cart now and don't see Hammy or Leta very

often as they have been put in a mental institution. My problem is, I am tired of

being alone and on the streets. I know that if I tell someone important they will

stick me in a childrens home, and I have sure heard horror stories about those

places. No thank you says me! I wish there was a magic way to just have a home

with a mom and dad. I have lived on the streets so long that people can tell, even

when I don't have my cart with me, that I am homeless. They say I look dirty. I go

to the bathroom at the Shell station everyday and wash up, but I don't change

clothes everyday. I only have 3 outfits. My shoes, now that's another problem. I

have outgrown them and haven't been able to find a pair that fit. Someone will

surely throw out a pair that will fit soon, at least I hope so 'cause it getting to be

cold out again. My toes poke out of these! I have Hammys coat. He said he

wouldn't need it anymore where he was going. I know its warm 'cause Hammy let

me wear it a lot when it was cold. I have 2 blankets, 4 pairs of socks, a red glove and

a black mitten, an orange stocking cap and a really long scarf that I think used to

probably be a curtain. All in all I am pretty much set for winter.

Mr. Salyers, at the thrift store just told me when I walked by that he was throwing

away a lot of things that I might need today and to be back by the dumpster at 4

oclock. Thank goodness there was a cell phone I found the other day by a bush, it

has a clock on it, and it stays charged up cause I only turn it on when I need to

know what time it is. I have a charger that will fit it, but no where to plug it in. Oh,

I guess when I clean up each day at the gas station, I can plug it in there in the

bathroom if my clock goes dead. only 30 more minutes until I need to be at the

dumpster. I guess I will just sit down by it for a bit and relax. I have been walking all

day. There are a few other kids out on the streets like me, but they all live on the

east side and are all real mean. Kinda like some of the gangs that I see sometimes.

I must have fallen asleep because Mr. Salyers just came out and woke me up. I

was having a wonderful dream too. I lived in a huge house that had a back yard and

a front porch. My mom and dad were both there and kept telling me how much

they loved me and I had a lot of toys to play with. Anyhow, on to the dumpster.

And man was Mr. Salyers right. I just found a pair of sneaks and snow boots just

the right size to wear 4 pair of socks with. He must have forgotten all about what he

was doing because I just found a purse with $100 dollars in it. I don't know what to

do. What if Mr. Salyers comes out and tells me I stold this. Man, what do I do? I

knocked on the back door of the thrift store and Mr. Salyers came to the door. I

told him he must have forgotten something in that old black purse and he just

miled and said he knew what was in there and did I read the letter with it? I opened

the purse again and found the letter. Thank god Hammy taught me to read, it said

exactly this:

Dear Saysie:

We know how much you want to have a home. My wife Edllie and I have been in

touch with a social adoption agency and found out that since you are homeless and

with no family that we could adopt you if you want. Now I know that you are too

proud to just move in with someone and think that they are giving you everything

you need, so I found this $100 dollars in this purse and knew that you would want

to pay for your keep, so in exchange for the $100 dollars , we want to adopt you

and give you a wonderful home to live in and all the love we have in our hearts.

Mr. and Mrs. Salyers. Hammy didn't lie to me afterall, Everythings alright eventually!

I couldn't believe what I just read. I read it again and again and couldn't stop crying.

I wanted a family so bad and Mr. and Mrs. Salyers were so nice to me all the time. I

was going to have a wonderful wonderful life after all.


End file.
